Many “smart” devices are available these days with connection to the cloud for all kinds of operation. One can answer a door bell remotely, detect when someone is approaching even before they ring the door bell, interact with the visitor from anywhere, monitor what they are doing and even open the door remotely if you want to. Or, one can turn on lights, control their color temperature to set the mood, do this all at home or remotely and even set up the lights to turn themselves on and off at different times or conditions.
More Smart Devices are added everyday and the smartness of the devices are increasing with each offering. This is the result of improvement of hardware and software technology that enables devices to be connected via the Internet of Things (IoT) explosion.
More Smart Devices are added everyday and the smartness of the devices are increasing with each offering. This is the result of improvement of hardware and software technology that enables devices to be connected via the Internet of Things (IoT) explosion.
So far, while there are many efforts to standardize and interconnect at all the hardware, firmware and software levels, interoperability still tends to be clustered with major manufacturers like Samsung. Open approaches like IFTTT (If This Then That) provides simple cross device and services solution. One common characteristic of all these Smart Devices and Smart Solutions will make a Smart Home with limited or no intelligence.
* Intelligence as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is
(1) : the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations : reason; also : the skilled use of reason
(2): the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one’s environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria (as tests)
Having a truly “Intelligent Home” is a very tall order to fill. One possible approach is to open communication channels, via standardization, between all “Smart Devices” and make them all think about each other to all be intelligent. This will be difficult both technologically and requires a lot of interaction between many manufacturers and enterprises.
Perhaps we can copy from the approach used for the internet by keep things open and simple. Let every device talk to a central repository of data and information. Sensor devices post info, actuators act on the info, intelligent devices crunch the data to provide guidance for sensors and actuators. viewing devices can display the info in a way that human can understand, etc.